Notes from the Underground

BiographyFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born in Moscow, Russia on October 30, 1821. Growing up in a relatively happy home, he probably felt closest to his elder brother, Mikhail. By the age of 18, both of his parents were dead, his father supposedly murdered by one of his serfs. Soon Dostoevsky was sent to an engineering …

“I am a sick man.. I am a spiteful man. I am a most unpleasant man.” “Yes, sir, an intelligent man in the nineteenth century must be, is morally obliged to be, principally a characterless creature; a man possessing character, a man of action, is fundamentally a limited creature.” “.the most intense pleasures occur in …

Theme AnalysisNotes from the Undergroundis a quite complicated piece of writing that requires a bit of untangling to find all of Dostoevskys possible themes. Its much easier and probably more valuable to the reader if we simply consider the broad meanings Dostoevsky conveys through his Underground Man. During Dostoevskys lifetime, the rational philosophies of naturalism …

Metaphor AnalysisBull: He describes the normal, “stupid” person as an enraged bull rushing headlong into a wall at the slightest impulse. This man, this spontaneous man, or man of action is ridiculed and despised by the Underground Man throughout his Notes, though he admits that he often envies him. Mouse: The UM sees himself as …

Character ProfilesUnderground Man: The central figure, indeed the anti-hero, of Notes from the Underground, is the Underground Man. Its important to note that although the UM shares many of Dostoevskys own viewpoints about romanticism, the enlightenment and other issues, the author and his character must be clearly separated. Dostoevsky himself alludes to this in his …

Part 2 Chapter 10Part 2 Chapter 10: The UM realizes that his idea of love is simply “tyrannizing and demonstrating [his] moral superiority.” For this reason he tries to give her a five-ruble note; but she doesnt accept it, making him even more miserable. For the UM realizes that his love has been tainted by …

Part 2 Chapter 8-Part 2 Chapter 9Part 2 Chapter 8: Waking the next morning, the UM is surprised at himself for expressing himself to Liza the way he did. He pays Simonov what he had borrowed from him the previous night, and includes in the repayment a letter of apology for his rude behavior. After …

Part 2 Chapter 6-Part 2 Chapter 7Part 2 Chapter 6: Realizing that hes been in a semi-conscious state (we can assume that this is after he and the woman have made love) for some time now, the UM comes to, noticing that the woman, Liza, has been staring at him. They have a rather cold, …

Part 2 Chapter 4-Part 2 Chapter 5Part 2 Chapter 4: Upon arrival, he finds that no one else has come yet. He is shamed by being the first one, knowing he appears overeager. When the others arrive an hour later (no one bothered to tell him that the time had been changed to 6pm), the …

Part 2 Chapter 2-Part 2 Chapter 3Part 2 Chapter 2: Dreaming is the only method the UM now finds to escape his life of “debauchery” and enter the world of the “beautiful and sublime.” He says that he dreamt for three months straight, and this dreaming was quite satisfying and even intoxicating, he admits. He …